"Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final"
― Rainer Maria Rilke
"Mom..." Izumi Uchiha froze after seeing her mom, sprawled on the floor with no one other then Itachi standing over her unconscious body. She knew immediately something horrible was happening. With every inch of her body, she felt the immense cold and darkness, coming through an open door. It was swirling around Itachi, like a violent hurricane. The boy was clad head to toe in a combat ANBU uniform, a blade sheathed behind his back, like a coiled snake, waiting to strike.
"I...Itachi?"
'What's happening?! It can't be Itachi!' her instincts screamed to turn around and run, to get away as far as possible from him, but Izumi could not move a single muscle. Instead, she was just blindly staring at the silhouette in the moonlit darkness.
"Itachi, please... "
Izumi could not finish, helplessly gasping for breath, as she was suddenly strangled by a wave of tears. With every passing second, the girl felt strength being sapped out of her more and more, as she looked at the boy, desperately trying to find even the faintest glimmer of Itachi left behind that lifeless mask he wore.
Her body started shaking uncontrollably, as more and more animalistic dread oozed its way into her mind, slowly intoxicating her thoughts. She was paralyzed. Powerless. Unable to do anything, but succumb to her unavoidable fate.
'I don't want to die!' she screamed silently, barely breathing.
At the same time she was unimaginably cold and scorchingly hot, as the room started gyring wildly in the haze of adrenaline and the ground suddenly crumbled beneath her feet. It was as if every sense in her body had gone completely awry, desperate to somehow cling to life!
Izumi Uchiha was locked away in a cage of her own screaming instincts, forced to be a powerless spectator, unable to move or speak for herself. The only thing she could do now, was just wait untill it was all over.
'Itachi, sorry, I was never truly able to help you...'
Izumi slowly closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to finally come and take her out of this misery. Her breathing calmed down, and body stopped trembling, as she finally accepted her fate.
'Sorry, dad, I couldn't become strong and protect everyone, like you did!' Izumi felt tears burning through her eyes as she remembered all of it again.
The night.
The cold.
The fear.
The suffocating rage of the Fox.
The horrible screams.
The death.
The blood.
The loneliness.
All of it was going to happen again. And just like last time, she was too weak to change a thing. Once again the fate forced her to sit back and watch as everything she loved was burning to the ground.
'First, I couldn't save dad and now Itachi is about to go into the darkness all alone!'
She suddenly wailed and screamed in frustration, as her bottled up emotions finally exploded. Tears flowed freely, but she payed them no heed.
"Why, Itachi? Why are you doing this? I know, it's not what you want..." she spoke as calmly as she could, desperately trying to overcome the iron grip of her own tears.
Seeing her like this shaterred Itachi's soul. He just could not force himself to move, as his arms and legs went numb.
'I have to do this! Move!' but he could not, instead just looking at Izumi's face.
'No! If I can't even do this... How can I face Father and Mother?!'
"Itachi that I knew always wanted only peace. To be Hokage, so he could end any and all conflict in the world. That Itachi would never turn on his family like that!"
Izumi desperately tried to somehow get through that dead mask he had on his face, even if it was just with one little word. Even if it would be her last.
Itachi shuddered at the mention of his old dream. It felt so foreign to him now, almost as if he was an entirely different person back then. Back then he still had hope.
'Please, don't do this, Izumi! Don't tear me apart!'
He thought this over dozens of times. He thought he knew each and every move, as if
It was just a game of shogi. He thought he'd quelled every last ember of doubt inside of him. It was the only way. It was necessary. Sasuke would be safe. Peace would be kept.
All the pieces on the board were set up, the strategy thought over and refined, Itachi only needed to make the first move. But suddenly it felt as if someone just knocked the playing table over, scattering the pieces all over the place. The longer Itachi looked into Izumi's eyes, the more he felt his strategies and reasons crumble down to dust.
Hearing her voice, so kind and full of compassion even in a situation like this struck him, like a whiplash. He expected her to scream, berate and hate him. It would have been so much easier... But this gut-wrenching silence was burning through him, paralyzing him and slowly sapping out his soul. He couldn't bring himself to answer, as he felt tears burning through his anbu mask. He was glad he had this mask on. It was the last line of defence of cold and calculated nature of shinobi within him against the raging sea of emotion, tearing his whole being apart.
Izumi suddenly got up and took a step forward and Itachi instinctively jerked backwards, as if struck by an electric jolt.
Stop.
Another step.
Stop!
Another.
STOP!
But Uchiha Izumi did not stop. It was some relentless force from within her, that made her move stubbornly one step at a time.
'No, no, no. Please!'
Itachi screamed silently. Desperate to keep his distance, he threw a couple of shuriken at her. One of them grazed her shoulder, but the girl did not even flinch.
"Back off!" Itachi shouted, "Or I will kill her!"
In a haze of tears and fear, Itachi gripped his tanto and pointed it against the woman's throat, drawing some blood to scare Izumi off.
"Please, Itachi..." Izumi struggled to speak, strangled by tears, "Just listen..."
Itachi Uchiha just froze, gasping for breath.
'Don't listen!' his inner voice screamed. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. The village, the Clan, his family, Sasuke's future, he thought he had all of it figured out already! Itachi's mind boiled helplessly trying to make sense of his conflicted emotion.
"Itachi!" Izumi shouted so loudly and desperately that the boy could not help himself, looking right in her eyes, "Just murdering everyone is wrong! What has gotten into you?!"
"Sorry, I really have no choice" Itachi felt himself crying, as the words left his mouth,
"It is the only way to keep Sasuke and the village safe! The only way to keep even more people from dying!"
Izumi continued to come closer and closer, relentlessly. Pushing aside her own fear and tears, she knew she had to make another step, say another word, look deeper and deeper into Itachi's soul, untill she was able to see it all clearly. She felt it with all her heart and that was what drove her further.
"Do you really think Sasuke would be safe all alone?!"
Izumi broke down in tears again, unable to control her overwhelming emotions.
"Even so, he would be alive! With a roof over his head and with a peaceful life ahead! He will rebuild the clan!"
Izumi took another step to Itachi. At this point they could almost touch and feel the breath of another on their faces.
"What would happen to you? Why do I have a feeling that you have decided to die?!" she shouted, breaking into tears.
Itachi shuddered helplessly under Izumi's gaze. It pained him to look into her eyes. There was no trace of fear, or anger anymore. Just a lot of sadness and compassion. Even as she was about to die by his hand, she still tried to understand his feelings.
"That's the only way. I will take the blame for the Clan's downfall and some day, when Sasuke is ready, he will..."
"Kill you?" Izumi finished for him, as her voice was shaking with a horrible realization of Itachi's plan, "And you think that's the right way?! You can't just play with people's lives like that! How is Sasuke different from other innocent Uchiha you want to kill?! And rather than help him, you decided to just die and leave him alone in the world?! Is this really what you want to do?! Or is this what someone wants you to?!"
"That's the only way I can see! I don't know how else to protect both him and the village! I am lost!" Itachi shouted, deeply conflicted.
He thought his plan was perfect. He thought it was the only logical solution. But now, as he listened to Izumi, he understood with every word, how truly deranged he had become.
"Please, don't try to take it all upon yourself! We will figure something out together! Maybe, talk to Lord Hokage or your dad! Make them understand! Anything, but not this! Please, Itachi, let me help you!"
Suddenly, some long forgotten feeling moved somewhere deep down in his soul.
His stoic and powerful domeanor just cracked. And with each passing moment it cracked more and more untill it finally gave way to all of his suppressed suffering and anguish. And Itachi Uchiha just wailed and cried like a helpless child.
Izumi's hands carefully reached out to his face, touching the cold mask and then just tossed it aside, shattering the porcelain into a thousand pieces, scattered all over the floor. Then she just wrapped him in the tightest hug she could muster. They both stood there for what felt like an eternity and cried.
"Sorry, Izumi. Maybe, if I trusted you more from the beginning, we could've changed the clan together..."
"Shhh, Itachi..." she whispered into his ear, "It's alright."
'it feels so warm and safe...' Itachi let go of everything for the first time in months and just burried his head in her shoulder.
"I am sorry, I was never able to give you the life you deserve" Itachi sobbed, hugging her even stronger.
"What are you going to do now?" Izumi asked quietly, afraid to ruin that fleeting moment of peace they both just shared.
Escaping the hug, Itachi was in deep thought.
"I don't know..."
Suddenly, Itachi heard the telltale sound of space-time wormhole opening behind them.
"I take it, you couldn't do it?"
This cold, hardened voice, devoid of any and all emotion sent shivers down Izumi's spine. Itachi visibly tensed, turning around to face the man.
"Madara?!" Itachi instinctively shielded Izumi with his body, pushing her behind.
"Oh? Protecting her no matter what? That is
admirable" Madara continued in a mocking tone, but his aura was every bit as deadly as before, - But, I thought we had an agreement.
"Agreement? Itachi, who is this man?!"
"I am Uchiha Madara. I came to take revenge on the Uchiha for their betrayal."
"U..uchiha Madara?!" Izumi gasped in disbelief, "He should be long dead!"
"What do you plan to do now?" Itachi asked, trying to steady his voice.
Every his instinct was primed for battle, his hand resting on his blade, as he was thinking frantically.
'I have no chance against him! Not even with Mangekyo! Maybe, Shisui's eye?'
"What do I plan to do? I have already said that much" Madara drew his blade faster than even the Sharingan could see, running it right through the unconscious body of Izumi's mother. There was a sickening sound of cracking bones and the blood flooded the floor.
"No!" Izumi's world shattered once again, as her legs gave up and she just collapsed on her knees screaming and wailing. All she could see was scarlet blood in her eyes, all she could hear was that nauseating sound of death, "Mom... Mom... Don't leave me, please..."
Itachi's eyes suddenly turned scarlet, as deadly black flames rushed to Madara!
"Amaterasu..."
"Oh? You are quite a skilled child, -Madara mused, completely unphased by the attack, - Is Sasuke also such a prodigy?"
"Don't you dare touch Sasuke!" Itachi shouted succumbing to his rage, "Or I will make you regret it!"
Itachi could barely breathe, suffocating with anger. Yet he felt helpless.
'He just phased through my attack like it was nothing! What is that ability?!'
"Perhaps, I will even spare Sasuke in honor of our deal" Madara continued nonchalantly, "I will make him my successor and open his eyes to the darkness of this cursed reality."
"Damn you... Don't you touch my brother!" Itachi shouted like a cornered beast, charging forward, summoning the sea of crows to momentarily blind the opponent, as he slashed down with his sword, intending to cut Madara's head clean off. But the blade met no resistance, as Itachi just passed through Madara's body, as if it was just an illusion!
'Unbelievable!'
"Crows? You can't be serious..." suddenly Madara just grabbed Itachi by the hand with so much force that the blade just fell out of Itachi's fingers, as they snapped, "You are going to need much more in order to take me -" Madara felt a sudden surge of chakra enter Itachi's body, as it exploded in a frenzy of fire and rubble!
"Izumi, let's go!" the real Itachi shouted emerging from under the floor, caughing relentlessly as his lungs burned from all the smoke and dust. It was taking all of his ANBU training just to not succumb to the incredible killing intent, radiating through the air.
'I hope, the explosion alerts the village!', - Itachi thought frantically, as he grabbed shocked and scared Izumi, jumping out of the collapsing building into the darkness,lit only by dancing flames! He ran full speed through the empty compound to the only place he could find help in. Home.
Itachi burst into his family house, like a hurricane of desperate panic.
"Itachi, what is going on?! Are you alright?!" Fugaku Uchiha was already on alert, in his full combat uniform, with scarlet Sharingan on display, "I heard the explosion!"
"The compound... Attack..." Itachi managed to squeeze out, struggling to catch his breath.
"Oh my God, Izumi!" Mikoto very gently, but quickly took the injured girl away from Itachi's arms.
Izumi still cried, sobbing, caughing violently and mumbling something incoherent.
"Please, mom..."
"Don't you worry, I will take care of her" the mother squeezed Itachi's hand very slightly, looking right into his eyes, as she was desperately trying to hold herself together,
"Just... Be safe."
"Did you notice something more?" Fugaku asked sternly, "How many assailants? Special abilities?"
Unable to say another word, Itachi activated his Mangekyo, sharing all of his memories of events, starting from Danzo killing Shisui, his mission, how he tracked down Madara and asked for his help. The illusion included absolutely everything leading up to that exact predicament they were in now.
Itachi couldn't stop his tears, as he realised that he was played all along! It was all planned by Madara all along and he was just a pawn! An oblivious puppet, who thought it mattered, when it clearly did not.
"So you knew?" Fugaku finally asked, his voice quiet and broken.
"Father... I..."
"Later" Fugaku's voice partially regained the usual steel of a leader, "First we have to stop this massacre. Let's go."
As both Uchiha rushed through the streets to the Leaf Police Force headquarters, they saw no light and heard the hellish screams from inside.
"No, please!" slash.
"Spare me!" slash.
"I am begging you" slash.
Fugaku Uchiha was petrified. As a hardened war veteran, he was used to violence and gore. After the blood soaked decade of the Third War, he thought he'd become almost numb to it.
But even he was shaken to the core by what unfolded before him. This was pure one-sided bloodbath! And the members of the Police Force were the most elite shinobi of the Uchiha clan. If they were cut down so easily...
"This truly must be the work of Madara Uchiha!Itachi! Stay behind me!"
The chief of the clan charged into the dark blood-stained halls, desperate to save as many lives as he could. When he entered the
admission room, what he saw rendered him utterly speechless. In the center of the moonlit room stood one man, surrounded by twenty or so mutilated corpses of Fugaku's best men, all killed in an instant.
"Ah, the head of the mighty Uchiha clan in the flesh" he said without turning around, "just what are you going to do against me?"
"Madara?!" Fugaku roared, priming his Sharingan, "you planned this all along?! The Nine-Tails rampage eight years ago! Was it also your doing?"
"Exactly. You see, the plan was also to get your son to join me, but in the end it didn't work out as well as I expected."
'He fought Minato and managed to not only survive, but take and control the Nine-Tails?!'
"Itachi! He is too dangerous! Go! Take your mother and Sasuke and run! Alert the village!"
"But without me you have no chance!" Itachi argued, consumed by his guilt. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, "We have to fight him together!"
"Fight?" Madara scoffed, "Oh no, I am not going to fight the two of you right now..."
"He is getting away!" Fugaku flew through the hand signs and sent a giant ball of raging fire towards the enemy, but the space-time wormhole was faster. They were alone.
"Where is he?!" father and son looked at each other in bewilderment, before coming to a horrible realization. The two rushed outside, running as fast as they could. No matter which house they entered, they only saw death and the trail of blood.
"He will slaughter everyone, if we don't do something!"
Mikoto Uchiha was tending to Izumi's burns. She tried as hard as she could to bring the girl back to her senses, but Izumi just continued to cry in shock and denial.
"Shhh, dear" Mikoto whispered, gently stroking Izumi's hair, "It is all going to be alright somehow" she tried her best to sound confident, but in reality, she was petrified! Just the thought of something happenning to Itachi or Sasuke torn apart the mother's heart.
"He killed..." Izumi whispered, "Mom..."
"I know, dear. I am sorry" Mikoto couldn't do much more than just wrap the broken girl in a motherly hug and let her cry and mourn in silence.
"Where is Itachi?!" Izumi shuddered as memories started coming back, "Is he alright?!"
"He is fighting alongside his father. I hope they are going to be safe. And Sasuke... He is coming back from his lessons. Sorry, Izumi, I need to go find him!"
"But if you go out there, he will kill you!"
"I have to try. I have to protect Sasuke, even if I die."
"How noble" the familiar cold voice spoke from behind.
'He's here!' Izumi felt the rising terror paralyze her, as ominous presense flooded the room.
"Mrs. Mikoto, run!"
"Why are you doing this?" Mikoto asked the stranger. She didn't run or fight. It was pointless" the clan is mostly women and children. They are innocent!"
Mikoto gasped, as the cold blade ran through her chest.
"There are no innocents in the shinobi world."
"Sasuke..." Mikoto let out with her last strength, "I am so sorry..."
Izumi shuddered at those words. There was so much sadness and guilt that they cut deep into her soul. Mikoto's lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Madara took a step towards Izumi.
"Now it is your turn. You can't escape me again."
Time frose for Izumi Uchiha. She watched as the blood-stained blade slowly descended upon her. There was no fear anymore. She was tired of fearing for her life.
'So many... So many died... All I could do is watch! Watch and cling to my pathetic life, while others gave theirs to protect me!'
Mikoto's last words rippled through Izumi's consciousness like a jolt of lighting. She suddenly remembered holding the sweet, innocent child in her arms. He was cooing and smiling until he realised it wasn't Itachi holding him. Then, he started crying with all his adorable might, until Izumi gave him back to his brother. Once in Itachi's gentle arms, the boy calmed down and fell asleep smiling.
Izumi smiled through tears, remembering back to those peaceful times. And then snapped back to the gruesome reality, where
she was about to die in a nick of time.
'I can't let more of innocent lives be ruined, because I was too weak to save them!' - she felt an intense burn in her eyes, as the world started gyring in a blur of crimson tears. In a fast, instinctive motion, Izumi caught the impending blade with her bare hand, disregarding the pain and the blood.
"Oh? Such fine eyes" Madara whispered an inch from her face.
'What is he talking about?!'
Izumi's heart was jumping out of her chest, every her sense and instinct hightened to the extreme. Suddenly, the world around her gained clarity again. Every movement, every small detail was now visible to her. There was a strange feeling of strength, coursing through her veins.
'What is this?!' - Izumi mused still holding the blade in her hand, staring at Madara. She felt her innate rage boil with every breath she took. And there was more and more of it, as her body started trembling, overflowing with emotion.
"How dare you..."
"Oh?"
"How dare you toy with lives like that?!"
She remembered everything now. Uchiha being suspected in unleashing the Fox, Itachi, being tasked with butchering his family, her mom and dad dead at her feet. All of this flashed before her in an instant, as she finally realized.
"It was you all along, wasn't it?!"
"What are you talking about?" Madara said mockingly, as his crimson eye narrowed behind the mask.
"You know! The Fox's attack seven years ago. They suspected a powerful Uchiha was involved! That's why our clan was shunned and driven to this massacre!"
"You really are not that stupid for a kid. It's a shame that I have to kill you."
"Murderer!" Izumi shouted, tossing the sword aside, as she palmed a kunai, charging at him blindly. And she passed right through his body, like it was not there. Madara quickly grabbed her by throat, lifting the fragile girl off the ground.
"Or maybe you are stupid, after all. Now die..."
"Tsukuyomi!"
Itachi stormed into the house like lightning along his his father. They were too late and both knew it.
"Mikoto..." Fugaku Uchiha was crushed upon seeing the cold corpse of his beloved wife in a pool of her own drying blood.
"Izumi, are you alright?! Mom..." Itachi saw it too, as the adrenaline rush started to settle down a bit, "Oh no. I am so sorry... If only I... If only I warned everyone... Maybe you would have lived..."
That split second of distraction was enough for Madara to strike. He launched himself forward, grabbing his blade, and made to stab Itachi in the back, as he was too shocked to defend himself.
Itachi realized he was about to die too late, unable to stop looking at his deceased mother.
'He broke out of the Tsukuyomi like it was nothing! How is that even possible?!'
"Itachi!" without a second of hesitation, Fugaku just threw himself in between his child and the blade, which got him right in the chest.
"Father! No!" Itachi couldn't even move from the shock. He was careless! He thought his Tsukuyomi was strong enough to defeat even Madara in one strike. But he was horribly wrong.
"Father... Why would you do that for me? I am not worthy... I failed all of you..."
"Itachi" Fugaku whispered, coughing up blood, "Because you are my son. And you tried to protect Sasuke and the village in the best way you could. If we were to go through with the coup... Everyone would have died for nothing... I can see it clearly now... I am proud of you. Take care of Sasuke and the clan."
Madara withdrew his blade swiftly and cut Fugaku's head off in one sudden strike.
"Soon, there will be no clan to take care of. You two lovebirds are next. Any parting words?"
"I promise, Father" Itachi said through tears, ignoring Madara completely.
'It is all my fault!' Izumi thought, 'If I wasn't so weak...'
She didn't get to finish her thought, as Madara rushed at her full force, intending to quickly finish what he started.
"I will not let you kill her too!" Itachi covered the distance between them in one leap, blocking the sword slash with two crossed kunai in a high block. A kick to the thorax sent Itachi flying across the room, but he managed to correct himself in the air, landing right on his feet. Madara extended his arm to once again grab Izumi by the throat, but suddenly the black flames of Amaterasu sprung into existence inches from his arm.
"Don't you ever touch her!" Itachi leapt back into action, fueled by his grief and anger. He slashed at Madara relentlessly pooring his unbridled rage into every strike. All in vain as Madara phased through everything Itachi could muster.
Izumi just stood there unsure how she could help.
'There isn't even a place for me in this fight! They are so fast!'
"Even this strong of an ability must have a weakness. Every jutsu has!"
"I doubt you are strong enough to ever find out."
Madara just phased through the floor, evading every attack and reappeared a moment later.
"Itachi, behind!" Izumi shouted, as the blade was coming dangerously close to Itachi's exposed back. Startled Itachi gyred in place and managed to redirect the blow the last second with a kunai.
'Right! He should be vulnerable now!' Izumi took the opening, throwing a couple of her own kunai. It was the only thing she could do
in a fight of that caliber. It was all for nothing, as Madara just turned intangible again and rushed at Izumi, prepared to cut her down.
Suddenly, the time slowed down again and Izumi could see everything. Itachi was desperately trying to close the gap between them in time, Madara was slashing down with his sword and all of it was happening. It was just as if that moment streched to infinity. Everyone was hardly moving and Izumi felt as if they were deep underwater, where every movement was slowed almost to a halt, and she could finally think with clarity.
'I can't die just yet. I can't leave Itachi alone! And, mom, dad, I will avenge you!'
'Now, what do I need to do?' she thought supprised by her own calmness at a moment like this. Suddenly, she felt an influx of unbidden thoughts erupt in her brain. It was so much information she could barely breathe, as a jolt of a horrible headache ran through her head, as her vision started going dark.
'Argh! What's that?!' she thought, almost crying from the pain. Suddenly, she saw something strange before her eyes. It was like a never-ending stream of images or visions intruding into her consciousness from somewhere else. Amongst random flashes of blindingly white light and painful ringing in her ears she made out a sword, cutting her body cleanly in half. She could almost feel it and hear the sickening sound of her own bones cracking under the cold blade. In spite of terrible pain, that was tearing her apart, getting only worse with each passing second, she tried to dodge left, but as she stood up, the sword cut through her stomach in another violent thrust. When she opened her eyes everything was back as it was a couple of seconds ago. In fact anything barely even moved.
''What?! I thought I had died?!' Izumi was shocked and crippled by the unbearable pain.
'Okay, this time let's try to the right.'
After the same scene of her terrible demise, everything was reset again to how it was in the beginning.
"What is this power?! Why didn't I die?!"
After fighting back a new sickening jolt of pain, she suddenly saw it very clearly.
Grab a handle of his sword with her left hand, stopping the strike, grab a kunai with the right hand and stab his eye out.
"He isn't expecting that! Wait, how do I know?!"
Suddenly the time flowed fast again, like a raging river that finally broke through the dam. Everything was a blur to Izumi, as the sword was coming whooshing down at her.
"No!" she barely heard Itachi's distant scream through the pounding headache and she barely saw anything through the bright colourful haze of painful flashes, clouding her field of vision.
'Now!' the thought commanded and the body obeyed. She felt the cold metal of the sword's handle in her left hand, as she intercepted the strike, forcing it to a sudden halt. Then Izumi grabbed a kunai with her right hand, as she made to stab the hole in Madara's mask.
'What?! Impossible! How did she dodge?! At this range!'
Yet another jolt of headache made Izumi's world degrade into a colourful mess of intense flashes, as she felt herself collapsing.
Itachi barely made it in time to catch her in her fall and jumped back to make some space.
"Izumi! Izumi! You alright?!" she could barely hear him over the white noise and pain, "What happened?!"
Madara didn't pursue. He just stood there, seemingly perplexed by something and soon Itachi saw what that was about. A scratch made its way to his mask.
'It must be from Izumi's kunai! She actually hit him!'
"I... don't know... It was like the time stopped for a moment... And then I just moved... My head hurts..."
"Its alright" Itachi said, carefully observing Madara's slightest movement, "can you stand?"
"I think so." Izumi replied weakly, as she could barely stand straight without Itachi's hand supporting her.
"Don't worry" Itachi said seriously, "I will not let him hurt you."
Madara finally snapped out of his shock, getting back to his usual self. He charged at the two, shooting a valley of wooden spikes from his fingertips.
"Wood Style?! What an unbelievable enemy!"
Izumi closed her eyes, as they wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Suddenly, Itachi howled in pain, as they became engulfed in the massive ocean of strong chakra, quickly taking the form of a skeleton and then of an ethereal warrior, as it evolved.
"Susano'o..." the boy whispered, breathing heavily, as he felt beads of sweat, forming on his forehead, and blood, flowing down his cheeks. The spikes just bounced off the armor like they were nothing more than mere splinters.
"The Susano'o, huh? Never thought I would actually see it in the flash ever again."
Madara didn't even flinch as he passed right through the armor and made to cut both of them in half with one strike. With a desparate kick, Itachi pushed Izumi out of the blade's way, instantly igniting it with the Amaterasu and watched as it melted away into nothingness.
Madara just tossed it away. Izumi knew he was up to something, as he didn't even slow down.
"Itachi, be careful!" she could barely see anything, but she knew she needed that power again! Even if it killed her!
"Mangekyo Sharingan" she whispered, "please! I beg you! Omoikane!"
The name of her jutsu just came to her mind, as if it was concieved by the chakra itself. The time suddenly grinded to a near halt again and the headache intensified! It was crushing, maddening and absolute this time! There was no escaping it!
'I have to do it! I can't lose Itachi too!' she endured through it, barely able to think coherently, as it felt like everything was falling apart. Her consciousness was dissolving in a stream of hundreds of unbidden images and sensations, focing their way to her head!
She gathered the last dregs of strength and concentration on the silhouette of Madara Uchiha.
'Please, work! Please!'
The headache worsened. The pressure almost made her eyes pop out of their sockets as the heart started beating in her ears. When she finally had the strength to open her eyes, she saw Madara just phase right through Itachi. She saw in slow motion the expression of shock on Itachi's face. She saw an another wooden spike protruding from Madara's hand.
"Itachi, look out! No!" she screamed in a panic, as she saw Itachi's throat split open by the sharp splinter. The horrible fountain of blood was the last thing Izumi saw before everything froze in place again.
Another crippling wave of pain struck her like a whiplash, running through her body like an electric jolt!
'Do I stop time?! What if I try to pull...'
Ignoring the pain, Izumi concentrated on this scene before her and started rewinding it in her head. Frame by frame.
At first, nothing happened, but as she strained more and more, she saw the blood drops flow backwards, defying all laws of gravity. It was like playing tug-of-war with the time itself! Her agony intensified with every effort she made. As she continued to concentrate, her vision was going dark, starting from the corners and quickly eroding away the rest of her field of vision. The pain reached its absolute peak.
'I need to hold out! Just a bit longer! Just a bit!'
A couple of incredibly long secongs later, she reached a moment, where Madara passed through Itachi's body.
'How can he be... Not there?! Like a ghost!'
Using last dregs of her strength, Izumi watched this moment again and again!
'What is his ability?! What is his weakness?! There got to be something! Anything! An indication, hand sign, small delay! I just need to look!'
The same aggressive flashes of light appeared all over her field of vision, as it started degrading into a colorful mess again!
'No, no, no, not yet! Please!'
The time loop reached a moment when the wooden spike appeared from Madara's hand, as he made to split Itachi's throat open.
'Where is it?! Just a single clue!'
Her eyelids felt like lead, her eyes burned as hot as fire. To her horror, she felt warm currents of blood and tears running down her face. She felt the jutsu burn through all chakra her body could muster in a fraction of seconds. It was hopeless. She was ready to give up. As time was slowly but surely breaking free of her control, Izumi thought and thought, frantically searching for the faintest slip up, or weakness in Madara's technique.
'Wait! Why did he only strike after passing through Itachi?! Wasn't it faster to just cut his body from inside?! That's it! I found it!'
Izumi quickly undid the jutsu, allowing time
to flow freely.
'Yes! We're finally going to defeat him!' she thought eagerly, as all her emotions exploded in an adrenaline rush, 'Mom, Dad, I've avenged you! With this power, nobody else will die protecting me!'
"Itachi! He can't..." every word intensified the pain, which now spread through her whole body, but she barely felt any of it, "teleport and attack at the same time! Not both!"
Hearing this, Itachi tensed his battered body and gathered the last of his chakra to make one last strike.
'Now that we know his weakness, we will win for sure!'
She watched in anticipation as the man slipped through Itachi. It was taking all of her stamina to not lose consciousness, but seeing this moment would be well worth the pain. Here! The wooden spike started appearing! All her shinobi instincts screamed!
'We win! A clear strike!'
"Itachi! Now!"
Hearing her desperate cry Itachi sprung into action without a second thought. The Uchiha turned around and stabbed Madara with his tanto. He felt every moment, every miniscule movement of his muscles. Years of almost inhumane shinobi training completely took over every aspect of his body. Yes, there could be no mistake. The blade pierced the body with deadly precision.
'Even he couldn't have survived!'
Izumi felt a wave of relief sweep over her. It was over. Madara Uchiha was dead! She finally avanged everyone!
"Itachi, we did it!" Izumi cried, as she couldn't contain her feelings anymore.
Itachi was too tired from all the Mangekyo abilities. He could barely keep his body from falling prone at that very spot. But even he was glad. They really did it, after all. Itachi withdrew his blade and Madara's body collapsed. Wary of any tricks, Itachi waited a couple of moments, not taking his eyes off the corpse. But eventually his exhaustion took over.
Deathly tired, the Izumi finally allowed her body to fall to the floor. It felt like instead of blood, molten lead was coursing through her veins. She closed her eyes, allowing the welcoming darkness to take her. They were alive and that was the only thing that mattered.
A sudden movement, too quick for the untrained eye to track, snapped Izumi back to reality, as the next seconds hit her like a concrete wall! Madara's fallen corpse suddenly came back to life and jerked forward towards Itachi's exposed back! Izumi wanted to warn him, she wanted to scream, but the words were stuck in her throat. Itachi realized he was in danger too late! Madara's Sharingan morphed into a Mangekyo and a space-time wormhole engulfed the defenseless boy in a fraction of a second! Next thing she knew was that Itachi was gone.
"Itachi, no!"
Something inside Izumi just shattered. Her Sharingan faded away together with the last dregs of her chakra and resolve.
Madara Uchiha slowly approached. She suffocated in his unhinged bloodlust. It overwhelmed the small room like a devastating tsunami and Izumi could swear she heard the Death itself in the echo of his heavy footsteps.
'It's not possible! How can he...'
"I, Madara Uchiha, commend both of you on your strength. However, it is not enough to defeat me."
'But Itachi stabbed him through the heart! I saw it! How can he be alive?!'
Izumi didn't have the strength to move. And even if she did, running would be pointless. All that was left to do was wait another moment and it'll be over.
'How did I not see this coming?! If I had been more careful, Itachi wouldn't have... I deserve to die!'
Madara stood over her motionless body, priming the wooden spike for a clean strike right through her heart.
"I will make sure to find a great use for your eyes, girl."
Izumi closed her eyes and took her last breath. A strange sense of calmness enveloped her.
'It's okay. Mom, Dad, I am coming. Just wait a bit longer.'
But the strike never came. Izumi first heard the deathful whistle of the wooden spike through the air, but then something happened. She heard a metal clang in an inch from her face.
"Stop right there! Who are you?!"
When she opened her eyes, she saw a man in the grey uniform, towering over her in a desperate motion to intercept the deadly strike.
'His left eye! Sharingan?!'
"Hatake Kakashi, huh?" Madara regarded his sudden arrival in his usual cold voice, but something in it seemed a bit out of place.
"To slip through the village barrier, go into the Uchiha compound and just slaughter a clan inside an enemy village all by yourself? You must be pretty good. But even you must understand that this is the end. If you cooperate, we might even let you live."
As Kakashi was speaking, more and more ANBU operatives arrived at the scene in the blur of countless body flickers until Madara was surrounded.
"Surrender yourself. You have no chance of winning here."
Madara visibly tensed, as he surveyed the situation. Kakashi also didn't take his eyes of the foe. The tension in the air was palpable. This standoff seemed to last an entire eternity before a space-time wormhole finally opened forcefully hurtling a giant four-bladed demon wind shuriken directly at Kakashi at point blank range. Hatake couldn't dodge even if he wanted, because Izumi was still on the ground behind him. Next thing he knew, he heard the telltale hiss of the explosive tags.
'He must have attached them to the shuriken!'
In a desparate movement, Kakashi managed to grab the girl's limp body and use the fastest substitution jutsu he had ever done, switching places with a piece of rubble far enough to evade the blast. The explosion was massive. The fury of fire and force totally collapsed the house and debris was raining on the shinobi's heads. Even before all the chaos settled, the mysterious intruder had been long gone already.
"He got away", - Kakashi concluded grimly, - "We must act immediately! Team Ro will search the surrounding area! "
"Yes, sir!"
"Teams Sigma and Alpha will establish a cordon around the affected area of the compound and look for any potential survivors!"
The shadows, too fast for the untrained eye to see moved out to their destinations without a word.
Kakashi carefully placed Izumi on the ground and proceeded to weave hand signs with unprecedented speed.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
From a puff of telltale white smoke ten ninja hounds emerged.
"Yo, Kakashi. How can we help?"
"We have been attacked by an unknown assailant. I want you to spread out and look for any unusual smells. "
"Attacked? In the middle of the village?"
"That's the hard part. The attacker seems to use some kind of space-time ninjutsu. We need to patrol the area to ensure he doesn't come back."
"Understood."
The hounds dispersed, joining up with ANBU members and Kakashi turned his attention fully to Izumi.
"Are you alright?"
Izumi was silent. She was barely conscious and pale like a ghost.
"Itachi..."
Izumi just broke into tears, shaking like a leaf.
Kakashi crouched near her and reached into his jacket. Then he took Izumi's hand and pressed a small black pill into her palm.
"Take it. It will help restore some of your chakra. You will feel better."
"Itachi is... Gone..."
Izumi didn't hear anything the ANBU captain was trying to say. She looked at him with empty eyes, unable to do anything. Her mind went back to the ominous wormhole, engulfing Itachi in a nick of time. She could see the expression of shock and fear on his face. He didn't even have the time to fully understand what was happening.
Izumi was brought back to reality by Kakashi's firm hands gently shaking her.
"Hey, I know what you've been through, but any information you give will help us catch the culprit."
This didn't help much, because Izumi still couldn't muster even a single word. She was just trembling and whimpering something inaudible, clearly too shaken to do anything.
Kakashi sighed heavily, pulling the girl up, as he offered her his shoulder.
"Take her to the hospital", - he ordered the nearest subordinate, handing Izumi over as softly as possible.
- "Itachi... died because of me", - she whispered faintly amidst sobs before they vanished in a body flicker.
For a long second Kakashi Hatake stood there seemingly lost in thought, before his ANBU tatoo suddenly burned up, signaling the arrival of the Lord Hokage.
In one body flicker, the captain appeared before Lord Third, genuflected and awaited orders.
"Report."
"Kakashi Hatake - the captain of the ANBU squad "Ro" reporting, sir. During the routine patrol around the Uchiha Clan district, at approximately 1900 hours, a strange smoke was noticed coming from the district proper. In order to respond to the situation, I assumed command over the ANBU squads "Alpha" and "Sigma" dislocated close to the said district. At around 1930 hours, we moved into the district and intercepted one assailant. After a short contact, the enemy resorted to a diversion and fled the scene. The enemy appeared to be using Space-Time Ninjutsu of an unknown kind. His only visible eye was a Sharingan. Current whereabouts unknown. Squad Ro, as well as the Ninja Hounds, are sweaping the area as we speak. Also, we managed to rescue one survivor. Uchiha Izumi appearently fought the assailant and may have more intel on his abilities. I sent her to the hospital, as of now."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned more and more, as he pondered the crysis that unfolded right before his eyes. Dozens of corpses, wrapped in utilitary black body bags, pools of blood flooding the streets. This was truly the downfall of once proud and mighty clan.
The Third Hokage caught himself shivering involuntarily. He suddenly remembered the other terrifying night, exactly seven years ago. The grim suspicion creeped into his head.
'Biwako... My dear wife... '
"Are you absolutely certain that man had a Sharingan?!"
"Yes, sir, I am", - Hatake replied silently, eliciting a heavy silence from the Hokage.
It was briefly interrupted, however, by an ANBU operative, appearing in front of them.
"Report."
"Lord Hokage, Captain, another survivor has been located. Uchiha Sasuke just came back from the Academy. We intercepted him at the entrance."
"Very well, bring him to the hospital for the time being.", - Hiruzen answered.
When the operative disappeared, Lord Third continued.
"Kakashi, I have another assignment for you and your squad."
Hiruzen paused for a moment and frowned, thinking through all the details.
"You are to guard the surviving Uchiha at all times. If the killer is able to enter the village at will, they are in grave danger."
"Yes, sir, but what about Naruto? If the enemy gets his hands on..."
"That is not all, Kakashi", - the Hokage said sternly.
"Sorry, sir. That will not happen again."
"I know, how you feel about the boy. And yes, I share your concern. If that man seizes the Nine-Tailed Fox, there is no telling what disaster he could unleash. In fact, I suspect he may have already done so seven years ago."
'If he truly was behind the Nine-Tails' attack... What chances do we have?!'
"So, here is your full assignment, Kakashi..."
Not even half an hour had passed since he recieved the mission from Lord Third, when Kakashi was already standing in front of his squad, explaining all the details.
"Our targets are Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki. Our squad is to escort the said targets to the Hokage Residence and ensure their safety for as long as the threat persists.
Yugao and myself will escort Naruto, while Tenzo and the rest of you will take Izumi and Sasuke. We will meet at the destination in an hour. Any questions?"
"Scatter.", - the captain added after a brief pause and the squad silently dispersed before he even finished.
Kakashi and Yugao were speeding across the rooftops to Naruto's house a moment later. A thousand thoughts were racing through the young captain's head, as they got closer to their destination.
"Sensei, don't worry. I will not fail you again", - he whispered faintly.
"I still can't believe it, captain. To slaughter an entire clan alone over a couple of hours! Unbelievable. Do you think Itachi could have survived this? His body was not found."
Hatake nodded grimly, observing dozens of fellow ANBU in grey uniforms spreading in all directions, examining every square meter of the village proper. That one mysterious man managed to put an entire ninja village on such a high alert in such a short time and completely vanish afterwards.
"As much as it pains me, I don't think Itachi can survive for long, even if he is still alive. It is likely that he was taken hostage. Let's concentrate on our mission for now."
The two landed silently on a small balcony beside an entrance. When the lock was picked, the pair entered into a fairly old and small apartment. There was only one big room with a bed, small kitchen, littered with all sorts of dirty dishes and empty forgotten instant ramen cups. The whole place looked almost deserted and very empty.
Kakashi felt a momentary surge of guilt.
'So that's how you lived, Naruto...'
"Hey! Who the heck are you?! You can't just walk in like that, dattebayo!"
The boy in question was standing right in front of them in his pajamas. He tried to sound confident, but in his eyes was fear.
"What's happening?! I didn't do anything!"
For a moment Kakashi looked like he saw an apparition before finally collecting himself.
"You did nothing wrong, Naruto. We are here to protect you. Come with us, please."
"Protect... Me? From what?", - the boy said unsurely, - "Nobody protected me before... Who are you?! Come where?!"
Kakashi sighed and took his mask off, crouching to look the child in the eye. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"My name is Kakashi. Third Hokage sent me. There is a very bad man hiding in the village now, so we need to protect you."
Naruto suddenly frowned, looking perplexed, a tint of sadness in his eyes.
"Why? It's not like anybody cares about me or something."
Kakashi almost shuddered at the undertone in the child's voice. The ANBU captain was at a loss for words.
"Well, some people do. Get dressed and let's go, Naruto."
Hatake stood up, put the mask back on and turned around to walk out, but Naruto pulled on his sleeve.
"What people?! If they care about me, why don't they ever show up?!"
"Captain, we are short on time.", - Yugao interjected.
"The life of a shinobi is tough. They don't show up, because they protect you and whole Konoha every single day. Now, please get dressed and let's go. From now on, you will be living in a new place with new people."
Naruto looked like he was shot by lightning right at that spot. His blue eyes widened in clear shock.
"New place? New people? For real?" - he stuttered, as if cautiously probing a new reality.
"Yes, Naruto, you will not be alone anymore."
Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha was also given a taste of the new reality.
His world crumbled the moment he saw an ominous black smoke rising above his home. Dropping all of his textbooks, Sasuke sprinted towards the gates of the compound, only to be stopped by men in grey uniforms, wearing porcelain animal masks.
"I am sorry, but you can not enter right now."
With a startled gasp, Sasuke came back from his thoughts, when an ANBU operative suddenly appeared behind him.
"What happened to my family?!" the boy shouted, turning to face the man.
"Mom, Dad, Itachi, are they alive?! Tell me!"
Sasuke felt himself shaking violently, as he was struggling against immense emotions. Tears clouded his eyes, as he shouted time and time again, demanding to know, where his family was.
"This evening, there has been an attack on the Uchiha compound."
The ANBU's sombre voice cut through Sasuke, like a sword, as the boy immediately fell silent, struggling to breathe.
"B-but who... Could've..."
"Besides you, only one person survived. I am sorry"
Sasuke didn't even hear. He didn't want to hear any more of that.
"You're lying! Lying!" the boy shouted at the top of his lungs, as his tears exploded in a violent wail, followed by ragged whispers
"Big brother is an ANBU! He must have saved everyone and... And they escaped somewhere and now they... They are waiting for me... They must be! I must find them! They are worried about me! I need to hurry!"
In an irrational, chaotic movement, Sasuke tried to break out of the masked shinobi's arms, punching and kicking the man, while barely standing on his feet.
"They are looking for me! Looking for me! I need to hurry up and find them..." He kept chanting amidst sobs, while still trying in vain to open the door.
The ANBU suddenly grabbed him from behind and locked him in a hug, rendering the boy unable to move.
"It's okay. Let it all out." he said in a most soothing voice he could muster.
"Let go!" Sasuke shouted, pummeling the man's torso time and time again with all his strength "You don't understand a thing! We have a Police Force and my dad! And my big brother is an ANBU! Nobody can defeat them! They are waiting for me! Let go! Liar!"
"I am so sorry, kid."
After several moments of struggling, Sasuke eventually gave up and broke down in tears, pressing his face against the grey vest.
"Do you know a girl named Izumi?" The man asked after a daunting silence.
"She was... Itachi's friend..."
"She survived, kid. She survived. You are not alone."
"She might know, where my family is!" Sasuke suddenly lit up "Take me to her! I must ask her! She must know!"
"You will meet Izumi soon, but I am telling you, nobody, besides the two of you, could survive. The sooner you accept it, the better."
"You don't know everything! We're the strongest Clan in all of Konoha! And my dad and big brother are the strongest in our Clan! Nobody could kill them!"
Sasuke laughed in sudden elation.
"Whoever attacked the Uchiha must have been an idiot! Silly me, got worried for nothing!"
The laugh was turning more and more hysterical with each passing second, as the young Uchiha switched between anxiety and uncanny elation with disturbing ease.
"Of course! How could I forget?! They must have hidden! There is a secret place! A very secret place! Silly me! They are there! For sure! Take me to them! Oh, right, you can't. You don't know about it, because it's so secret!"
His hysteria had reached the pinnacle point before the ANBU finally placed a hand on his forehead, letting the soothing green chakra take hold over the boy's broken mind, gently sending it to sleep.
When young Sasuke woke up, he immediately noticed he was not standing at the gate of the Uchiha Compound. Instead, the kid found himself in some room, very spacious and filled with sunlight. It had everything: a fairly decent bed, large bookcases , filled with various books and scrolls, and a big table in front of the window.
It seemed to be an early morning.
'Where am I?' Sasuke thought absently, while walking around, studying his new surroundings.
Suddenly, he heard someone talking behind the door.
"I assure you that the ANBU will not invade your privacy any more than necessary. Please, consider this place your home, at least for the time being."
"But... I can't take care of a child! Please! You have to reconsider!" he heard a desparate voice, pleading with the other person.
"I am sorry, dear, but you are the closest person to a family he has. I understand that you can't do it right now, after such horrible events... You can ask Kakashi Hatake and the other ANBU operatives here for help anytime you need it."
"B-but..." the girl sobbed " I can't protect anyone! Everyone near me dies! Mom, Dad, Itachi! I don't want the kid to..." she cut off and wailed in helpless frustration.
Hearing this, Sasuke suddenly felt a surge of anger, building up in his tense body. His hands clenched into fists, as he bolted through the door shouting
"Itachi is not dead! Nobody can kill my big brother!"
He tackled Izumi with all his force, nearly knocking her off her feet.
"Why do you all lie to me?!" he shouted in anguish before breaking into tears. "I know he is alive! And mom is! And dad!"
Upon seeing Sasuke's face, Izumi just froze in her place. The long raven-colored hair, the deep onyx eyes... She looked at Sasuke, but she saw Itachi instead. Scared and helpless in his last moments, his eyes slowly feeling with dread and dispair as he understood more and more that it was over for him.
The girl could feel her heart exploding inside her chest, as she was breathing faster and faster in vain attempts to survive. It felt like she was drowning, descending deeper and deeper into the murky waters of fear with each passing second. Izumi already knew this feeling. She could swear she heard the telltale sound of a wormhole, opening just behind her and the heavy unrelenting footsteps. She could feel the cold icy breath licking the back of her neck. Someone grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground, and then slowly, sadistically enjoyed squizing out every bit of oxygen she had.
Her lungs were burning, she couldn't breathe, absolutely paralyzed, like a lamb to the slaughter. In a desperate motion, Izumi stretched the collar of her shirt, nearly tearing it apart and made a big gasp for air, which left
her caughing ceaselessly for a minute.
Hiruzen noticed immediately that something was wrong and positioned himself between the Uchiha children, carefully embracing the fragile girl. She just cried on his shoulder.
"I can't do it... I just can't!"
"It's alright, dear. Breathe. You have absolutely nothing to fear here. Some of Konoha's finest men protect this place. They will keep you safe"
the Third Hokage whispered softly, gently stroking Izumi's hair.
"I can't... Please..."
"I don't need a caretaker!" Sasuke shouted "I need my family! Take me to them now!"
Taking a few deep breath helped Izumi regain her composure a bit. She was still shaking violently, but at least she could talk.
"I am sorry, Sasuke... Sorry, I couldn't help them... They all died right... Right before my eyes..."
Sasuke froze, staring the girl down in silent anger. His glance was filled to the brim with vitreol and sorrow. Those eyes were not the eyes a child should have. Izumi shuddered, she felt herself cower under that disdainful look on the boy's face. Then, finally, he spoke.
"It's you, who should have died!"
Then, Sasuke turned around and bolted down the hallway, giving the shattered girl one more scornful glare.
'This is going to take a very long time...' thought Hiruzen with a big sigh.
"Don't take it to heart, dear. He has just lost his family."
"But he is right..." Izumi whispered more to herself
"I can't take care of him! Can you find someone else? I beg you, lord Hokage!"
Sarutobi's reply was instant and very firm, as though he had rehearsed it beforehand.
"You are his only family. Even though things between the two of you will be difficult, it is still better than living alone or with a complete stranger. Trust me, Izumi, there is no worse fate than growing up all alone."
Izumi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was trembling with repressed anger, which threatened to explode any moment now.
"But I am the reason his family died! Can't you see that this will be a torment for both of us?!"
Third silently pulled out his pipe, stuffed it with tobacco and lit up with a bit of fire style chakra from his fingertips. Sarutobi took a long drag, exhaling a cloud of thin white smoke, which smelled like a mixture of pine and various berries. He then gave the girl a stern look.
"That was a battle, Izumi. Things happen in combat. Terrible things, sometimes. People are always killed or maimed. And situations in a real battle aren't always fair. You were forced to fight a man, who far outclassed you. You couldn't have protected anyone and that is not your fault. It was a miracle you even survived, so don't waste the rest your life self-loathing."
"But..."
The Hokage placed a firm hand on her shoulder, preventing her from interjecting.
"If you want to make amends to those, who gave up their lives for you, make sure you spend every second of life you have doing good things for their families and the people of your village. You can start by taking care of Sasuke. Now, I must go. Remember, should you need any help, Kakashi Hatake and his ANBU squad are always nearby."
With that, the Hokage left and Izumi was just standing in the hallway, unsure of what to make of it all. It seemed, her new reality came and was here to stay.